We experienced a strange sky yesterday. For several hours at midday, the contrails from jets crisscrossing our valley remained fixed in place. The vapor trails did not expand and dissipate. And they did not shred apart in the high atmospheric winds as they normally do.
My neighbor, Kevin, and I stood
outside my house staring up at the grid-like trails.
“Something is not right about
that,” Kevin suggested.
“It’s weird,” I said. “But a lot of weird stuff is going on these
days.”
After Kevin drove on down the
road, spooling out dust from behind his SUV, I strode off for a walk. I am happy I did. A mile into my walk I came across the second
sure sign of spring (bluebirds being the first).
I am talking about finding my
first stemless daisy (Hooker’s Townsendia).
They are the first flowers to emerge in the spring. The plant is diminutive, but tough as a river
rock. Stemless daisies prefer exposed
ground and full sun. Only a few days of warm
sun is required to bring forth the first flowers, which are roughly the size of
a nickel.
As in years past, I am sharing
a photograph of the first stemless daisy in bloom.
The Stemless Daisy
—Mitchell Hegman
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